acceleration and stalling problems

[andresej21]

Ok, so I'm an intermediate noob. not totally new to cars, but new to this sort of problem.

my probe is having problems off the start, typically i have to rev up to 3k rpm to be able to start with enough momentum to get the car rolling. if i shift smoothly into first, i can floor the gas with clutch out and the car will accelerate deathly slow, as in barely move at all. when this happens it takes almost 10 seconds to reach 2k rpm and once i hit that theres usually a loud BANG and the car begins to pull normally. so at over 2.5-3k the car runs fine.

the guy i bought it from said he was told it was a vacuum problem, which to me sounds like it could be it, but then the second problem that goes along with all this is a strong smell of gasoline and a rapid drop in fuel level. as i was driving it home it showed a quarter tank of gas left and by the time i drove 5 miles the level was halved. i stopped at a gas station and checked the engine as best i could and did not see any leaks, but then again it was 10pm and the lights at the station only lit up so much… the last thing i noticed, is that when im waiting at a light, the car begins to vibrate a lot.

so this is my problem, idk if they're all related, but if any one can help id appreciate it. if your going to talk trash, at least make it funny so i can laugh too.

[P-Zero]

Sounds to me like too much fuel is being sent to the motor and is pooling up somewhere. When you hear the bang is when all that fuel gets ignited.
Is there a noticeable fuel smell when driving? Or when you were checking it? Take a look at your fuel rail and make sure there's a vacuum hose on it. Also, if you have access to it, try to find whether it's the right vacuum hose. I know some fuel systems need ported vacuum [only sucks off idle] and some need straight vacuum [creates vacuum all the time]. It's also possible that the diaphragm that's on the rail is bad. I'm assuming that's what regulates fuel flow. [Not positive on that though].

And for good measure pull the plugs and check condition and gap.

It could also be your ignition, but I'm leaning towards the fuel delivery issue as you're losing fuel at an alarming rate without any obvious leaks.

[bladirka]

^ I second. He is talking about the fuel pressure regulator. It sits right on the end of the fuel rail near the airbox. There is a vacuum hose connected to it. While the engine is idling, pull the vacuum line off and make sure there is no fuel coming out of the regulator. If so, you will need to replace the FPR.

If that's NOT the case, It sounds very much like an ignition related issue. Make sure your plugs and wires are in good condition/a good brand. It could also be related to your distributor components or possibly your crankshaft position sensor.

Is the CEL illuminated?

How is the engine at idle?

[andresej21]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The smell of gas is strongest while driving, so what you guys are saying makes a lot of sense.

The guy that sold it to me had changed the plugs and wires, and i verified that so i really dont think its anything coming from that end.

The check engine came on once for a few seconds while driving, but then turned off so I dont know what to make of that. But then again he had disconnected the battery since he was not driving the car, go figure.

At idle, the car seems fine unless its a cold start. With cold starts I have to gas it a little to get it fired up and keep it from turning off. But once it warms up, it'll start shaking quite a bit.

[limitup]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The smell of gas is strongest while driving, so what you guys are saying makes a lot of sense.

The guy that sold it to me had changed the plugs and wires, and i verified that so i really dont think its anything coming from that end.

The check engine came on once for a few seconds while driving, but then turned off so I dont know what to make of that. But then again he had disconnected the battery since he was not driving the car, go figure.

At idle, the car seems fine unless its a cold start. With cold starts I have to gas it a little to get it fired up and keep it from turning off. But once it warms up, it'll start shaking quite a bit.

I'm thinking bad injector o-ring seals.

[andresej21]

Well, THIS problem is fixed. it actually turned out to be the plugs and wires. I guess i need to "verify" these things when its daylight. But, it wasnt so much the condition of the wires, but more so the misplacement of them. One wire wasnt making contact with the plug in cylinder 4 and the wire at cylinder 5 was broken at the boot. so i changed the plugs and wires (all but one… this will be my next question).

The wire that broke on cyl 5, left a piece of the rubber boot stuck around the plug… i cant get them out, not the plug nor the wire… Any ideas?

Next problem i noticed while test driving is that while i accelerate on gears 2 and 3, at a certain point the RPM goes up but theres a stall in the accel. after a few seconds the car starts speeding up. Could it be those gears? Cause this doesnt seem to happen in 1st or 4th...